President Trump: Russia should not support Syria's actions in Idlib

The Turkish leader's office also said earlier that the two presidents discussed Idlib and the situation in Libya.

US President Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters

"President Trump expressed concern about the violence in Idlib, Syria and thanked President Erdogan for his efforts to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe," the statement said.

"President Trump said the United States expects Russia to end its support for the Assad regime's brutal actions and that the Syrian conflict will be resolved politically," the White House statement said.

Mr. Trump also reiterated that foreign intervention in Libya would only make the situation worse.

Erdogan said earlier that he had called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to end his offensive in Idlib province and withdraw from Turkish military observation posts by the end of February, threatening to respond with military action. Erdogan said on Saturday that Ankara would not wait until the end of February and would demand an immediate withdrawal of Syrian troops.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Türkiye failed to fulfill a number of important commitments to resolve issues surrounding Syria's Idlib region.